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Reporters Without Borders Criticize Bush for Restricting Freedom of Press: Report
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Tori Clarke denies that Pentagon sought to hinder freedom of the press.
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With
additional reporting by Neveen A. Salem, IOL Washington D.C.
PARIS,
May 24 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - International press freedom
watchdog Reporters without Borders (RSF) on Friday criticized U.S.
government efforts to curb media access in the United States and
abroad following the September 11 attacks.
In
a statement coinciding with U.S. President George W. Bush's European
tour, the Paris-based group denounced the alleged beatings and
intimidation of five reporters and assistants by U.S. forces or their
Afghan allies in Afghanistan.
RSF
cited the example of Ebadullah Ebadi, a translator and media assistant
for the Boston Globe newspaper who was beaten by Afghan troops last
month as U.S. soldiers stood by and watched.
It
also lamented that journalists had restricted access to military
operations in the central Asian nation, launched in October last year,
as well as to detainees held at the U.S. naval base in Guantanamo Bay,
Cuba.
RSF
accused the U.S. government of compromising Internet privacy by
allowing the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI to install so-called
"spyware" that can monitor e-mail traffic sent via Internet
service providers.
Under
the Patriot Act passed in October, the FBI was authorized to install
its "Carnivore" program on several service providers to
track e-mail of suspects possibly linked to the attacks that killed
some 3,000, RSF said.
"As
well as the invasion of individual privacy, the confidentiality of
journalists' sources is threatened by this blank check given to the
FBI," it noted.
The
organization urged leaders in France, Germany and Italy - all on
Bush's itinerary, along with Russia - to press Bush on the issue of
media freedom during bilateral talks.
Bush
"must ensure that respect for human rights is once more at the
heart of U.S. foreign policy," RSF concluded.
The
group last month also slammed Israel for its treatment of
journalists since the Palestinian Intifada against Israeli occupation
began in September 2000.
RSF
stated that it counted 53 cases of journalists wounded by gunfire.
“In
the vast majority of cases, RSF has found that the shooting came from
the Israeli side. Some of the journalists were seriously wounded, even
though several of them were clearly identifiable as press and standing
some distance from clashes taking place," a report by RSF said
The April 9 report also stated that "Since Israel began its
offensive against towns and cities administered by the Palestinian
Authority 10 days ago, there have been about 40 cases of journalists
being obstructed in their work wounded, injured, arrested, expelled or
threatened]."
The report added, "Attacks on press freedom have increased in
recent days. Since Israel declared Ramallah a ‘closed military
zone’ on 31 March, journalists have found it harder to do their job.
They were arrested, threatened, roughed up, hindered in their
movements, expelled, wounded or injured and had their accreditations
or passports confiscated as efforts by the Israeli authorities to
restrict the free flow of information."
The report added, "The Israeli army is knowingly targeting
journalists in a deliberate policy of intimidation. The Israeli
authorities are treating many journalists as "enemies" and
accusing them of being ‘Palestinian sympathizers.’ They are also
doing everything they can to hide their military operations and
accompanying abuses from the world's media."
CNN
also slammed Israel last month when one of its reporters reported that
Israeli forces had fired upon journalists attempting to cover Israeli
aggressions against Ramallah.
Journalists
have also repeatedly stated that Israel denied them access to besieged
area, including the Jenin refugee camp, where it is reported that
Israel murdered hundreds of unarmed men, women and children.
Earlier
this year, media personnel also slammed Pentagon Assistant Secretary
of Defense for Public Affairs Victoria Clarke for hindering press
freedom during a Brookings Institution event on the role of media and
the U.S. government in the “war on terror”.
Clarke
defended the Pentagon’s decisions not to take journalists along on
certain “dangerous missions”, as media officials continued to
accuse the U.S. government of denying access in order to spin the war
according to its own agenda.
During
the event, the Pentagon was also criticized for courting Hollywood
during the initial days of the war and for encouraging filmmakers to
producing patriotic movies glorifying war.
One
specific issue raised by IslamOnline concerned alleged demands that
news agencies curb their reports on civilians killed by the U.S.
during military operations against Afghanistan. The Pentagon denied
giving such instructions.
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